Advanced Search

2. Kelso (1957-1983)

(
Baltimore Sun file photo
/
October 12, 1969
)

Never mind that, as a 3-year-old gelding, he skipped the 1960 Triple Crown. Kelso blossomed into a near-mythic thoroughbred and the star of Bohemia Stable in Cecil County. Named Horse of the Year a record five times (1960-64), he raced until age 9 and won a remarkable 39 of 63 starts, including five Jockey Gold Cups, and nearly $2 million -- a money mark that stood for 12 years until passed by Affirmed in 1979.
During the Cold War, Kelso defeated Russia's best in the D.C. International at Laurel. He ate monogrammed sugar cubes, drank bottled water and slept on a bed of pulverized sugar cane. Kelso had a worldwide fan club and an oversized mailbox at owner Allaire du Pont's Woodstock Farm in Chesapeake City, where he now rests.